As they were approaching the forest, Han also noticed what Jackie was talking about. He was familiar with the appearance of the various types of trees that grew in his hometown, and the tree he remembered didn't quite look like the ones he was now seeing.

Just like an ancient structure that grew larger as it was approached, these trees loomed over them. The size difference wasn't nearly double the original size but was close to being the case. But that wasn't what was attracting his gaze, it was the slight shimmer in the leaves and the trunk. Due to them being several hundred feet away from the edge, the shimmer wasn't intense but was still able to catch the light from the sun.

"What in the world?" Jennifer asked, the confusion in the voice coming clearly through the speakers in his helmet. Her thoughts mimicked what everyone else was thinking.

"This is only a small fraction of what I was talking about," Jade answered to their murmurs. "As you can, quickly, notice, the flora has gone through some changes. We're unsure whether the trees themselves have gone through a genetic mutation or whether some type of fungal or viral substance causing the changes." There was frustration in her voice as she was explaining the situation.

Steve chuckled self-deprecatingly, "We don't have anyone that majored in biology, so we don't know what to think about the changes. Trying to figure it out is beyond us, so the Captain just had us keep an eye on things."

"There's supposed to be some kind of meeting happening with some of the larger teams, later, but we got tapped for this experimenting mission. It was pretty last minute, so the meeting likely has to do with what we're seeing out here." Kimberly added in.

"This is better than some boring meeting," Lexi said sounding annoyed.

When they approached the edge of the campus, Han could see that there were veins of light on the trunk of the trees. The leaves appeared to be more purplish than green, giving the canopy a fantasy looking feel though he hadn't seen such things in the past world.

"Hold up, you guys," A man in a similar looking suit approached them, holding up their hand motioning for them to stop.

"Phil, we're on the mission to go test out the weaponry. We have permission from the Captain." Jade explained to the man.

"Wire me the info," Phil said, his voice sounding stern and severe. There was silence as Phil was likely waiting to receive the data packet and go through the contents.

It was a convenience, being able to send sensitive documents over the wire without being concerned about the authenticity of the paper or maintaining security. Each of the suits acted as a node and networked together when they were near a suit. Documents and pages were locally stored and shared with the other armor, depending on the security level and permission from the wearer.

When he learned about this, Han was impressed by the technology though understood the limitations of such things. Those part of the mesh network would only have limited access to the Wire, but it was a strategic advantage if used correctly. The line of sight would become an issue, adding another weakness to the setup.

Han wondered if they would be able to test the range of the armor during this period.

"How is it in there?" Steve asked the man.

Phil shook his head and sighed, his face was concealed by the helmet, but his voice conveyed all the needed information. "We've occasionally been sending out teams into the forest, just a couple hundred of feet into that shit. It seems like the modified humans aren't our only concern."

"What does that even mean?" Grace demanded.

Jade raised up an arm to silence Grace and everyone on his and Jackie's team. "You'll find out." Was all she said.

A man jumped down from a nearby building and approached them. "I still think those things are modified humans."

"Charles, we've talked about this. It's ridiculous to believe your crazy conspiracy theories," Phil groaned in annoyance, clearly not enjoying the interruption of this individual.

As if not wanting to encourage others to believe such things, Phil said to Jade, "Just be careful out there. We've yet to have anyone get too seriously injured or killed."

"Tell that to Ji-mins group!" Charles yelled at Phil.

Jade turned her head to swung to look at Charles.

There must have been a private message between Jade and Charles due to the words Charles yelled out, "No! I refuse to believe that! She's not okay and considering her team's ability, we should have sent people out to look for them!"

Phil pointed his finger at Charles in an intimidating manner, as if ordering Charles to either leave the subject alone or not to blast such things over the open channel. It was likely both. With how much Jade had hinted about what was happening outside, Han figured that it wouldn't be unusual to come across deaths or missing people during their patrols. Becky did an excellent job at containing information that may make the civilian population nervous.

He had heard numerous times, the whispering of people discussing several conspiracy theories of what was happening. The positive side was how these theories were limited to a minority of the population inside of the facility. Han wondered if there would come a time when people would blow up, feeling frustrated about dealing with the daily restrictions.

"Come on, everyone. Let's head into the forest." Jade commanded them, as Phile and Charles were arguing over the fate of the missing team.

"Are we going to be okay?" Harmony asked Jade, worry in her voice.

Though she wasn't the same timid person they met at the police station, Han could understand why Harmony was concerned. With the mutated trees looming over them, it was a constant reminder that the world they knew was no more.

Instead of Jade answering Harmony's question, Kimberly said, "This is why we're with you guys. You may have some experience from the Arena, but such an environment has no risk for you as a player. At some point, all of you will need to have the experience of being in combat where there are real-world consequences." Kimberly kept her sights forward as all of them approached the forest.

Jade's team would wave at people walking along the perimeter, likely friends they knew and hung out with when they weren't guarding the university. Han noticed how none of the guards had their helmets removed, as if ready for anything to happen.

It made him think of those countries with the demilitarized zone and the guards watching to see if something happened. With what the man named Phil phrased things, there hasn't been some kind of rush of Modified Humans out from between the trees.

Looking into the forest, there only appeared to be darkness between the trees. It was the type of shade that stuck like tar, not being caused solely by the canopy of the forest. This was likely due to being out in the open and looking into a dense forest, but it helped to make the forest appear ominous.

As if it was holding some kind of secret, Han grew fascinated with what he was seeing. It reminded him of his interest in horror movies, imagining himself entering something humans had no business treading in. He felt a sense of admiration for the players who stood like sentinels against such eldritch landscape. Even more so, for those willing to traverse into the strange forest.

No one spoke as they were about to enter the forest. Even Jade and her team were silent, making it evident that they, too, didn't enjoy crossing the threshold. It was likely due to the way the sun was being blocked by the forest, but there was a line on the ground, as if dividing the world between the light and dark.

Jade and Kimberly were the first to enter the forest. Their bodies appeared to be engulfed by the forest. Someone in their large group made a gulping noise, seeing the image of the two disappearing from the world of common sense. The additional person in the front was also swallowed, as they went into the void.

Then it proceeded to his party, his mother and sister entering. Ivy and Ruby held each other's hands as they went in, likely hoping to comfort the other. Grace walked forward, followed by Harmony.

With him being the last in the group, Han looked at his foot and couldn't help but feel his mouth smile as he watched the darkness pour over his foot, stepping beyond the divide.